Read and comment on this letter that has been posted on the Turkey RPCV listserv Arkadaslar and signed by over 35 Turkey RPCVs protesting an article in the NY Times Week in Review to the effect that Turkey is to be punished for the Buyuk Mejlis' refusal to vote U.S. basing rights. The RPCVs say they are appalled at the recent talk of "punishing" Turkey because its parliament refused to vote basing rights for U.S. troops and planes; that recent elections in Turkey are a testament to exactly the type of governance our nation espouses and encourages all over the globe; that the decision was not an irrational refusal to perceive its own national interest, but a reflection of the near universal unpopularity of sanctioning an invasion of Iraq; and that the decision of the Turkish parliament does not spring from anti-Americanism.

The group plans to send their letter, which is reprinted here with the permission of the author, to Congress, to the Turkish Embassy, and to newspapers in Turkey. If you are interested in supporting the group in their efforts and adding your name to their letter, contact colleenjclark@earthlink.net or add your signature below. Read the story at:

*This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.

Dear Arkadaslar:

You may have seen Colleen Clark's messages pointing out an article in the NY Times Week in Review to the effect that Turkey is to be punished for the Buyuk Mejlis' refusal to vote U.S. basing rights. A Commentary this week by William Safire had an even more anti-Turkish tone:

In response we have drafted a letter from Turkey RPCVs to Congress (Senate and House) to help defend Turkey from these vague threats of U.S. retribution. There are now 37 signers (see below). This letter is not be about the Iraq war, but about Turkey's right to make a democratic decision. Time is short - events are moving so fast that we need to move forward with a letter. We hope to have the letter translated into Turkish and send it to the Turkish embassy and key Turkish newspapers.

If you would like to sign this letter please contact Colleen Clark T-IV. -- colleenjclark@earthlink.net

The Letter to Congress from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers for Turkish Democracy

Date March 27, 2003

Senator *******

address

Fax #

Dear Senator ******:

We served as Peace Corps volunteers in Turkey, teaching in high schools and universities, working in orphanages and clinics, and living in great cities and tiny rural villages throughout the country. We made life-long personal friends and have maintained decades-long strong ties to a nation that we came to respect deeply.

We are writing you because we are appalled at the recent talk of "punishing" Turkey because its parliament refused to vote basing rights for U.S. troops and planes. Let us be clear. This letter is not about the Iraq war. Indeed, we the undersigned are not all of one mind on this issue. We are, however, united in defense of Turkey's sovereign right to make a democratic decision, without threats of retaliation and unspecified "consequences". As you help shape future U.S. policy toward Turkey, we ask you to consider the following:

1. Turkey instituted elections starting in 1923, and has over time evolved into a lively and competitive democracy. Its recent elections are a testament to exactly the type of governance our nation espouses and encourages all over the globe. How can we promote democracy in the Middle East and then threaten reprisals when it is honestly exercised?

2. The decision of Turkey's parliament was not, as stated in some press accounts, an irrational refusal to perceive its own national interest, but a reflection of the near universal unpopularity of sanctioning an invasion of Iraq. Why should Turkey be singled out for punishment because of public opinion that is hardly unique to the Turks?

3. The decision of the Turkish parliament does not spring from anti-Americanism. As returned Peace Corps volunteers we know that the United States is widely admired and our past support appreciated. Many of us keep up with the Turkish press, which has not engaged in broad-brush anti-Americanism but reflects instead strong disagreement with a specific policy.

4. Setting out to “punish” Turkey, thereby putting at risk our relationship with a long-time ally that is strategically located between Central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East is unwise. Forcing participation in an unpopular war would create serious internal rifts around the already difficult Islamic/secular debate going on in Turkey and further divide the military from its civilian leadership. This is dangerous and destructive of democracy. Do we really want a weakened, chaotic Turkey next to a defeated, chaotic Iraq?

We ask you to oppose cuts in U.S. assistance to Turkey as not in American's long-term interest. We further request that you remind the Administration that moves taken behind close doors such as curtailing IMF loans are also not in our interest. What is in our interest is that this modernizing nation succeed, succeed both economically and politically, as a model to the world of a nation rooted in Islamic faith and culture that is embracing the future - a democratic Muslim nation not at war with the 21st century.

As several American "big birds" flew in from the West to airfields in the zone we protect in Iraqi Kurdistan, a freedom fighter turned to a Kurdish friend: "I have been a pesh merga for 25 years," he said. "I always dreaded the sight of aircraft because they brought death to our people. This is the first time I have seen an air force on our side."

The transports arriving at the rate of four a day carry U.S. forces as well as loads of weapons to enable Kurds to follow up on our air and missile strikes at Ansar and Qaeda terrorists. Together with the 70,000 Kurdish warriors who call themselves the pesh merga, "those who face death," the U.S. troops being inserted daily are early elements of what will become the northern front.

The missions of these coalition forces are to prevent Saddam from torching the Kirkuk-Mosul oil fields and to engage Iraqi troops that would otherwise join the defense of Baghdad. Top Baath Party leaders tell my Kurdish friends that Saddam's strategy is to use guerrilla tactics to give France and Russia two weeks to negotiate a truce.

Such delaying tactics are helped by Turkey's foot-dragging. The new, Islamic-influenced government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan transformed that formerly staunch U.S. ally into Saddam's best friend.

The main reason Turkey now permits U.S. overflights is that we have demonstrated our capability of doing it the long, hard way, from the west through Jordan. For that, we owe King Abdullah plenty; we owe Mr. Erdogan nothing.

Before that, Ankara Islamists kept allied supply ships floating off Turkey's shores, while those politicians dickered over the price of a transit toll. Six billion cash plus 10 billion in loan guarantees wasn't good enough in that time-consuming bazaar. We had to send our ships around to Kuwait, lengthening the war and causing more allied and Iraqi casualties.

Adding diplomatic insult to this military injury, Turkey massed 40,000 troops on its border with Iraq, hoping to grab the oil fields of Kirkuk if Iraqi Kurds rectified Saddam's ethnic cleansing by daring to return to their homes.

The Turks' excuse for seizing today's moment of liberation to bite off a rich chunk of their neighbor is this: they insist that Iraqi Kurds plan to set up an independent state, which would then supposedly cause Turkish Kurds to secede and break up Turkey.

That's strictly Erdogan's cover story for an oil grab, undermining the coalition's plans for an Iraq whole and free. Even America's severest critics recognize Turkey's move as venal: pacifist Germany just threatened to remove its crews from the Awacs sent to Turkey by NATO that we arranged to protect the Turks from any wartime backlash. Thus has the novice wheeler-dealer in Ankara succeeded in alienating both the trans-Atlantic coalition of the willing and old Europe's union of the unwilling.

The Turks also came up with a "humanitarian" reason for crossing their border: to block an expected wave of Kurdish refugees again running from Saddam's vengeance. They would be running from an attack by Saddam's troops invited by Turkey's refusal to permit passage by allied troops.

Few are willing to denounce the new government of Turkey for this betrayal because wartime is not the best time. Last week, Colin Powell, biting his tongue, observed patiently that Ankara had yet to "operationalize" overflights. Gen. Tommy Franks also walked on eggs, noting that incursions by Turkish troops were by "very light formations."

Barham Salih, an Iraqi Kurdish leader who spoke to me yesterday from Sulaimaniya, also was conciliatory: "Erdogan had been badly advised, before his election, that America could not topple Saddam without Turkey. We do not forget that Turkey provided the airfields for the no-fly zone that protected Kurds for a decade." However, Salih pointedly noted that "Kurdish forces in Iraq are part of the coalition, effectively under U.S. control. And we are not asking for money; we are calling for freedom."

Fortunately, President Bush sent a firm message to troublesome Turks: "We expect them not to go into northern Iraq." Maybe, after undermining the genuine friendship between Turkey and the U.S. by helping Saddam make the war longer and bloodier, Islamist politicians and secular generals in Ankara will agree to fulfill Bush's expectation. Click on a link below for more stories on PCOL

Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Turkey; Speaking Out

As a Turkish citizen, I thank you for your efforts to overcome the current problems between Turkey and the US. I also thank you for respecting the democratic decision making process in Turkey and for contributing to yours.

Dear Friends, In Summer 1968, I and another Turkish friend, then sophomore students at METU, Ankara, joined two American Peace Corps Volunteers friends in a small village, Kuzkoy, Burdur. On my part, looking back, after all these years, that humble activity has raised a life long aspiration for a better world, in us. Probably, we should have more of similar programs...

In any case, I believe and hope the trust between Turkey and America will continue to survive occasional bumps on the road to even stronger and more cordial relationship. Your contribution to this effect is very much appreciated...